HOW DOES FOOD CONNECT PEOPLE?

Food sharing is connected to a community because when a hunter is sharing their catch to an elder that who can’t go hunting anymore, they get to eat and share with other family around them.

Even when there is a community feast, people get to eat together in a community hall or in a school gym, there is usually diff kind of country food like, frozen fish, caribou and mattaaq in the feast.

It doesn’t always has to be a feast to eat or get together, sharing what was caught can be contributed too even if its enough for a family to have a meal.

Food connects people by sharing and eating in a group (big or small) for example; community feasts in smaller Inuit communities. They get together and eat in groups of big or small. There’s laughters, smiles, and even games. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is important, In community feasts, there is Pijitsirarniq (concept of serving) there are people serving the food at community feasts. Also, piliriqatigiinniq (working together) there are people working together when food is being distributed. Food connects people in good ways, even the age does not matter. When hunters harvest food, they (or their family) also announce through VHF, radio or social media saying people can pick up.

Food gathering is connected with people as we come together and eat as whole.

Sharing the food we catch from out on the land, we would give to family, or friends is connecting with us people because we get to feel special with their catch.

Eating with family and friends feels right for us so we would not feel left out.

How does food contribute to the community wellness?

When food is connect with people, we would eat with family that our father catch. Some people would catch food and give us what they catch and we would enjoy with family.

Eating on a catch connect us with family and friends.

In kinngait many people go to the lake and set their fish net, and when they get back to the community, some drop off to elders first and after dropping off to elders there’s usually a free pick up 1 per house hold as they want everyone to get one.

For the past 1 week or so, there’s a caribou tags available and to those who catch a caribou some also drop off to elders and some share to family member.

When there’s finally a beluga in the bay, if there’s many people who caught, they would share the maktaa to anyone down the beach and the beluga tail they do a beluga tail party and I’ve notice their mostly women who goes to beluga tail party.

When people catch a seal, many women gets invited for alupajaaq and if the people who got invited for alupajaaq gets to that house they start to gather to the floor and start cutting up the seal and people start to get an equal seal meat.

Community feast usually on special occasions, or some work place set a date if there’s gonna be a community feast and they would notify the community.

Hunters shares their catch to the community or for the elders to eat. And also when there is a feast for the community people eat together and enjoy the food

How does connect people?

People connect by eating country food together, when a hunter provides country food to a public such as HTO, HTA and the hta hosting a feast for the community. We Inuit love going to the feast at our community hall or gym. Also hunters drop off what they catch to the elders, or let the grandchild pick up to an elder.